insect picornalike viruses

[MFREIS at NOMVS.LSUMC.EDU]

Catching up on some old messages--Ed Rybicki, from June 25.
I wanted to mention an idea (not mine, but I think
it's interesting).  This cricket paralysis virus.
The polivirus receptor.  There is a gene in drosophila
called Amalgam.  Its function is not known because the
knockout has no phenotype.
However, the structure of Amalgam is similar to
that of the poliovirus receptor--Ig Superfamily members
with the arrangement, VCC.  (REF==Nature, Hellen et al,
~1991).  It is possible that Amalgam is a viral
receptor for insects.  It seems that
drosophila may be a good system for testing this
by seeing whether knock-out flies are resistant
to viruses. The structures of some picornaviral
receptors are similar to one another.